


This'll Be Fun

by Reddie_Set_Gooo



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: AU, Aged Up, Angst, Benverly (secondary), Carnival, Fluff, Losers club - Freeform, M/M, My First Work in This Fandom, No Demon Clown, No Smut, Reddie, Reddie Fic, Sexual Themes ? Eventually ?, Slow Burn, Soulmates, Stenbrough, Stenbrough (secondary), benverly - Freeform, hope you guys like it, no IT
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2018-01-16
Packaged: 2019-02-22 21:59:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13176060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reddie_Set_Gooo/pseuds/Reddie_Set_Gooo
Summary: Eddie starts working on the local Carnival in Derry and gets paired up with the resident troublemaker for training and initiation. This leads to an interesting interaction at a bonfire later that night which makes working together very .... interesting, to say the least.(Putting this addendum out there - the characters have all been aged up to 18)





	1. I'm gonna be late

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! This is my first Reddie fic that I'm trying to do and I wanna make it as good as I can! So if you guys have any opinions or comments about how you think I'm portraying their friendship/relationship, PLEASE let me know!! :) I want to be able to write their interactions to be as truthful to their characters as possible even though I'm breaking away from the canon of the story. 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy!

**8:45 AM - Monday**

 

“MOM! I need to go, I’m gonna be late on my first day!” Eddie complained to his mother who was still pestering him by messing with his hair and worrying about what medicines she might have forgotten to pack into his fanny pack.

 

Though Eddie would never admit it to his mom, he did appreciate having the fanny pack fully stocked as a first aid kit. It came in handy for him and for anyone else who may need something.

 

“Okay, okay I’m sorry Eddie bear, just one more thing,” and packed his inhaler into the fanny pack as well, though Eddie hadn’t had an asthma attack since he was 12, she still always packed it just in case.

 

Eddie rolled his eye sat his mom but his hid slight smile at the gesture, “Okay! Can I go now?”

 

“Yes, now you can go. I still don’t know why you want to work here Eddie, it just seems so disgusting. Have you even been to this carnival before?”

 

“Mom, I need a job, and these guys were hiring and didn’t require any experience, which is good, cause I don’t have any. Anyyywayyyyys, bye mom I’ll see you later tonight.” With that he kissed his mom on the cheek and grabbed his bagged lunch from the counter and ran out the door.

 

He hopped in his car and chanced a brief look at the clock.

 

“FUCK!” It was 10 minutes before he was supposed to be on the grounds to begin his training. Eddie was going to be very, very late.

 

* * *

 

Eddie sped into the parking lot at the oh so slow pace of 50 miles an hour and screeched into a parking spot next to a run down, rusty pickup truck. Eddie figured if he had a chance of hitting a car in the lot, might as well make it the car that’s least likely to notice a new dent.

 

Eddie frantically scrambled out of the car and sprinted across the lot to the main lodge he was told to go to. He busted through the door his cheek bright red from running, panting heavily with sweat beads running down his forehead. He’d arrived with exactly 30 seconds to spare.

 

He stood there in the doorway for a moment taking in the scene in front of him. In the employee lounge stood 3 people. A girl with short, curly, red hair stood there with an amused smile on her face as she tried to assess what kind of person had just burst in. There also stood a tall boy with brown hair who seemed to be giving Eddie a disapproving look, but in a moment it was gone and he turned back to the conversation he seemed to be having when Eddie had run in. The last one in the room was another tall boy with curly hair and large rimmed glasses. Immediately the first thing Eddie noticed about him was how attractive he was and felt a slight flutter in his stomach, Eddie couldn’t figure out what look he was giving him though, that is until he started out right laughing at Eddie.

 

Eddie could feel his cheeks burn up, and it had nothing to do with how fast he’d just run to get here on time. The fluttering in his stomach turned into a rock as Eddie grew more embarrassed.  

 

He mustered up whatever dignity he could and took a slightly confident step farther into the room, he was just about to introduce himself when he was interrupted.

 

“So, let me guess,” the boy with the glasses said through laughter, “you must be the fucking rube we just hired?”

 

Eddie retracted the hand he had begun to hold up to shake. His mouth pressed into a hard line. He felt his eyebrows begin to furrow before he took a deep breath and remembered that he needed this job and he couldn’t get fired on the first day. Bill would never let him live that down. Also, he could almost guarantee he’d never get hired anywhere else in town again if that happened.

 

He forced a smile onto his face in the presence of this attractive but incredibly rude boy.

 

“Yep, that’s me! The brand new rube and I’m ready for my first day.” His face was hard set and he tried to keep the sarcasm out of his voice best he could. It was really hard though, especially when the rude, glasses boy had this shit eating grin on his face, and the curly haired girl beside shared one of only a slightly less magnitude.

 

She turned from the conversation she’d been having with the other boy to rude, glasses one and said, “Oh, you’re gonna have fun with this one trashmouth, he knows how to talk back.”

 

Eddie must have had a confused look on his face for a moment because the other boy stepped in and said, “Hey Eddie, I’m Stan, the one who hired you, nice to meet you in person, this here is Bev, and then this here is Richie, he’s going to be your training partner for the next week as you settle in.” He began to walk to the door, but paused right after opening, seeming to think of something important, “Richie, try to behave.” And with that walked out.

 

Eddie jerked his head back to look at rude, glasses boy, Richie, who had the biggest smirk on his face, “Come on, this is gonna be fun,” and gestured for Eddie to follow him out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try to make my chapters substantially longer than this one from now on, I just wanted to get something going while I had momentum with it, hope you guys stick around for update! Not sure about an updating schedule yet but I'm gonna have some time on my hands for the foreseeable future so hopefully I'll have something soon!


	2. Training - Day 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie could not handle this. 
> 
> People were disgusting, summer was disgusting, this booth was disgusting, and Richie was confusing.
> 
> Eddie could not handle this.

**9:10 AM - Monday**

 

Eddie trailed behind Richie as he led Eddie through the carnival. He was trying to focus on what Richie was telling him, he knew it was going to be important for his job, but he was still annoyed at Richie for being so rude without even getting to know him first. He was also annoyed with himself for finding Richie attractive when he was clearly a dick. He felt out of place already with his new coworkers. His brash entrance probably hadn’t helped, looking like an over eager newcomer, but that didn’t mean they had to be mean. He was also trying to figure out what Stan had meant about Richie behaving, he was worried he was gonna get hazed, he wouldn’t put it past this glasses jerk.

 

All of a sudden Eddie ran straight into Richie’s chest.

 

He backed up spluttering, trying to figure out what had just happened. He looked up to see Richie grinning down at him.

 

“What’d you do that for?” Eddie accused, already done with Richie’s shit.

 

“Tell me the last thing that I just told you,” Richie retorted smugly.

 

Eddie gaped at him, his mouth hanging open like a trout, he knew that Richie was right, he hadn’t been listening for at least the last five minutes. He didn’t wanna give Richie the satisfaction though, he wanted to wipe that stupid smug grin right off his face.

 

“I would assume something either rude or useless.” Eddie didn’t get exactly the reaction he was hoping, instead of being taken aback or maybe even some begrudging respect, Richie just laughed at him again. Eddie hated it.

 

Then Richie threw his arm around Eddie’s shoulders and pulled him along. Eddie hated that even more. He tried to pull his shoulders in and shy away from Richie’s grip, but Richie only pulled him in tighter as they walked.  

 

“Oh yea Eds, we’re gonna have a fun week. Just you stick with me.”

 

“Don’t call me that,” Eddie grumbled to himself mostly. He wouldn’t admit this to himself and really he barely registered it over his extreme annoyance with Richie, but his stomach had fluttered just slightly when Richie had called him Eds.

 

“So, EDS,” Richie started, putting emphasis onto the nickname, clearly having heard Eddie’s complaint, “since I have to go over the last five minutes of training, because you clearly couldn’t keep your eyes off my ass,” Eddie began to protest but couldn’t make any words form, “Eddie, Eds, my boy, don’t worry about it, I know I’m irresistible, but let’s have some professionalism in the work place,” then Richie winked at Eddie and Eddie felt another slight flutter deep in his stomach, but all he could do was splutter helplessly and gape at Richie’s bravado. Richie laughed once again at Eddie and pulled him into a picnic table next to the Ferris Wheel.

 

Richie pushed Eddie down onto the bench and then slid in across from him. Eddie rolled his eyes, because come on, what was with this fucking guy. The first thing he ever does is laugh straight in Eddie’s face and now he’s trying to ... what? Flirt? With Eddie? Please, like that would ever happen.

 

Eddie crossed his arms on top of the table and leaned forward, waiting, Richie seemed to be waiting for Eddie to break the silence and that was not happening. Eddie could wait this out. Eddie _would_ wait this out. Richie would not win. It had only been a few minutes at this point, it wasn’t awkward. Eddie could totally win.

 

…

 

“Jesus! What?!” Eddie finally yelled.

 

“Fuck yea! Victory motherfucker!” Richie fist pumped the air with such gusto that Eddie was vaguely concerned that he might have dislocated his shoulder. And then Eddie reminded himself he didn’t care.

 

Eddie rolled his eyes at Richie’s victory dance that he was still doing, “So, we gonna get back to training?”

 

Richie stopped for a moment and then pulled one of his feet up on top of the table, leaning his elbow on his knee. He raised his eyebrows at Eddie, then made a wide sweeping gesture to his raised leg and to the rest of him. “Don’t pretend like you’re not enjoying this view Eds,” Richie said while faking offense, bringing his hand to his chest and dropping his jaw.

 

Eddie continued to stare at Richie, his face impassive. While yes, Eddie could admire Richie’s aesthetic, despite how absurd it was. He was wearing khaki shorts that ended just above his knee, a white t-shirt with the words “Derry Carnival” written across it in a 70’s font, with a garish Hawaiian shirt on over it. It was bright red with blue and white hibiscus flowers patterned across it with palm fronds mixed in as well. The guy himself wasn’t half bad either, tall, slender, he had dark curly hair that framed his face which was splattered with freckles, even his giant, dorky glasses seemed to fit him. Eddie had to admit he was into it, but everything else about this guy though just screamed douchebag to Eddie. No way.

 

Eddie took a deep breath and then repeated his last statement, “So, we gonna get back to training, trashmouth,” Eddie couldn’t help himself, he had to throw that in there at the end, he’d heard Bev use it and now he understood how Richie had earned that nickname.

 

Richie chuckled, but sat back down on the bench. “Eds, just you wait, me and you, we’re gonna be tight, just like this,” and he held up his first two fingers which were crossed. He waited for a reaction from Eddie, but Eddie just stared straight back at him, his face as blank as he could make it. Richie chuckled again and sighed, “Alright, down to brass tacks, this week we’re gonna have you try out each different position that we have at the park so you find the right fit, you will be shadowing me on each one of these positions. Today we’re going to be starting out on ticket sales, give you something easy for your first day. Hopefully you can handle it,” Richie said the last part almost as a test, and he looked at Eddie with a glint of a challenge in his eyes, his mouth moved into a small smirk.

 

Eddie leaned forward ever so slightly, “I can handle anything.”

 

* * *

  

**5:00 PM - Monday**

 

Eddie could not handle this.

 

People were disgusting, summer was disgusting, this booth was disgusting, and Richie was confusing.

 

Eddie could not handle this.

 

* * *

 

**9:30 AM - Monday**

 

Richie had walked him up to the booth for ticket sales and first of all, Eddie had immediately noticed how small the booth really was. It was clearly meant for one single person, but here he was with Richie, holding the door open for him and ushering him inside, about to be squeezed into a maybe 6 square foot area.

 

There was only one chair in the booth and Richie had slid into it first, “I’m gonna run the first few transactions, that way you can see how it’s done and get a feel for how the booth works, then after a bit we’ll switch places and you can try it out for yourself.”

 

So, Eddie had leaned back on the wall, there were maybe 3 inches of space in between him and Richie. Sweat began to run down Eddie’s forehead and back, the small space would have been enough to get him sweating, it was a sweltering day as it was, 90 degrees, but having two people jammed into such a small space only made it hotter in there. Eddie couldn’t understand how Richie wasn’t dying under his curls, or how he seemed to be happy with every fucking person who came to the booth. It was like this kid was an endless stream of over enthusiasm.

 

Eddie had watched him for about half an hour before they hit a lull in the line, Richie twisted around in his chair and asked, “So, Eds, you still think you can handle this?” That gleam was back in his eyes, challenging Eddie.

 

“I told you, I can handle this, how hard can it really be, if someone as annoying as you can make these people happy and hand out tickets, I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Eddie retorted.

Richie smirked widely at Eddie, “Alright, let’s put that to the test then, switch with me.” He stood up and stepped as far out of the way as he could, but given the space, that was only a few inches. Eddie stepped forward to get to the chair, but there was a nail sticking out of the floor board that he didn’t see and it caught on his tennis shoe lace. He lost his balance and started to tip forward, he tried to reach out for the small counter in the booth to catch himself, but Richie caught him first.

 

He’d grabbed Eddie by each of his forearms and lifted him up against Richie’s chest, probably to help balance Eddie’s weight more, at least that’s what Eddie told himself. Richie was looking down at him through his glasses, their faces only a few inches apart at this point. Eddie felt a blush growing up from his neck and tried to lean back away from Richie, but he felt Richie’s hands tighten just a tiny bit and stopped.

 

Eddie waited with baited breath for something to break this stale mate, that something was Richie, “I knew you could only wait so long before throwing yourself at me Eds, but only an hour? I thought you’d try and hold out a little longer, guess I’m even more irresistible than I thought.” Richie smirked at him and Eddie scoffed as he pushed himself away from Richie.

 

“As if,” Eddie huffed as he took the seat in the booth.

 

He heard Richie chuckle behind him and felt his cheeks heat up again. He was about to add something else about Richie’s inflated ego, but then he noticed a customer walking up and put on a professional smile.

 

Richie leaned down and put a hand on Eddie’s shoulder and muttered lowly into his ear, “First customer Eddie, try not to blow it.”

 

Eddie shrugged Richie’s hand off him and tried to refocus.

 

“Hello, what can I do for you today ma’am?” Eddie said once the lady had reached the boot.

 

She stood there for a moment and appraised the ticket prices, “Yea, can I get 20 tickets please?”

 

“Sure thing, that’ll be $15.”

 

She nodded and then Eddie watched as she reached into her shirt and her sports bra to pull out a wad of cash. He watched as she unrolled it to pull out a $20 bill. She held it out to him and he hesitated as he reached for it. He tried to unhear everything his mom had ever told him about germs and forced himself to grab the bill.

 

Immediately he cringed, the bill was damp with her sweat and Eddie almost gagged. He put it in the till as fast as he could and grabbed her change and her tickets.

 

As soon as she walked away Eddie let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and gagged slightly to himself. Fuck, maybe he really couldn’t handle this.

 

Suddenly he remembered that Richie was behind him and pulled himself back together. “do people do that often?? Like do they keep money in gross places all the time?”

 

Richie snickered quietly, “Why? You got a problem working the booth?”

 

Eddie felt his body tense, “No, I just want to know what I should be prepared for, and you’re supposed to be training me, so I asked a question, so could you maybe not be a dick for 2 seconds,” he snapped. He regretted it as soon as he said it, he didn’t want to cause a problem between him and Richie, they were stuck in this booth together all day and working together the rest of the week. Not to mention, Richie was his superior and Eddie shouldn’t be talking to him that way period. His tensed stature deflated and he saw Richie’s face held slightly less certainty than it had all day. “I’m – I’m sorry, I just really don’t like germs and I just wanted to know if that was a normal thing, I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped, it’s not my place to speak to you that way,” he said in an abashed and quiet voice.

 

Richie rolled out his shoulders briefly and the bravado returned to his demeanor, he slapped Eddie’s shoulder playfully, “Don’t sweat it Eds, this is how I train all the newbies, gotta weed out the ones who aren’t gonna last the summer. If I don’t push you then I don’t know what you can and can’t handle, I’m gonna keep you on tickets today as planned but this probably won’t be the booth for you, people are really gross.”

 

Eddie felt a rock in his stomach at that moment, he wanted to believe it was because he knew he’d be working in this gross booth the rest of the day, but he knew that wasn’t the reason. Richie said he trained everyone this way, and Eddie had to figure out why that bothered him so much.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Hope you liked the update! Should have the next chapter up in the next few days or so!


	3. The Bonfire (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He put his arm around Bill’s shoulders and pulled them back til Bill was standing up straighter. “Alright, so let’s go find these losers.”
> 
> This is kind of a filler chapter so sorry! It gets real good in the upcoming chapters!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should have the next update ready to go up by either later tonight or sometime tomorrow! Hope everyone likes it so far! I'm really glad I have so much time on my hands for this fic right now!

**5:15 PM - Monday Evening**

Eddie made his way across the parking lot, the sun was lower in the sky but it wouldn’t be set for several more hours now. Maybe he’d go hang out with Bill, bill did want to hear about Eddie’s first day so he knew Bill wouldn’t say no to hanging out, plus he could get Bill’s opinion on a certain curly haired loudmouth.

 

He unlocked his car and slid into the seat. He turned on the A/C immediately, it was like an oven in the car and he could feel sweat starting to collect on his lower back. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to text Bill while the car was cooling down.

 

* _Hey bill, you still wanna hang tonight?*_

**_Sure! Meet at the diner in an hour?_ **

_*works for me!*_

Eddie slid his phone back into his pocket and was about to shift into reverse to leave when he heard a sharp rapping on the window. He jumped slightly and looked up to see Richie smiling down at him.

 

Eddie rolled his window down at Richie’s insistence, “Hey Eds, glad I caught ya, me and some other coworkers are havin a bonfire get together tonight if you wanna come, seeing as you’re one of us now. It’s gonna be at our pal Mike’s house, just a little out of town, the farm past the river.”

 

“Yea I know the place,” Eddie replied, there was only one farm in town. Eddie remembered hearing a group of freshmen talking about it being a good place to smoke weed without getting caught.

 

“Cool! So, you’re coming?” Richie looked at him expectantly, and his fingers were fiddling with the edge of the car door.

 

“Well, actually I was gonna hang with my friend Bill tonight, he wanted to hear about my first day and all.” Richie’s shoulders slumped for just a moment before he perked up and said, “Well, why don’t you bring him along, the more the merrier!”

 

Eddie hesitated, his hands still gripping the steering wheel, his fingers drumming on the side as he contemplated. “Uh, yea sure, I’ll ask him if he wants to go, what time?”

 

Richie’s smile somehow, impossibly, increased, “We were gonna meet there around 7, see ya there Eds.” Richie slapped his hands lightly on the window sill of the car door and walked away. Eddie was about to drive away when he noticed that Richie had gotten into the broken-down truck that Eddie had parked next to that morning. Eddie considered that for a moment as he pulled out of the lot and determined that it was the perfect car for Richie’s personality.

 

* * *

 

**6:00 PM – Monday Night**

“Bill come on they’re my new coworkers, I don’t wanna be the one guy that sits everything out, I’m gonna be by them all summer, I think making friends with them would be a good idea for me,” Eddie pleaded with Bill over the phone.

 

“ _Eddie, c-come on, you know I d-don’t like meeting new people with so little n-n-n-notice,”_ Bill said back.

 

Eddie sighed, he did know that, he didn’t want to make Bill uncomfortable, but he also couldn’t shake the feeling that going to this bonfire night was a good idea. He also couldn’t figure out why he wanted to go so bad. “Bill, we don’t have to go if it is gonna make you uncomfortable, it’s not that important to me, Richie just mentioned that our coworkers would be there and I think it might be fun to get to know him- them, to get to know them. Let’s just stick with the original plan and meet at the diner.”

 

Bill paused and if Eddie hadn’t heard his breathing he would have assumed the line had gone dead, “You still there Bill?”

 

 _“Yea, and you said Richie invited you? H-he’s friends with, uh, Stan right? From study hall, Junior year?_ ” Bill asked sheepishly. Eddie could almost picture him back in study hall, always getting distracted while they were working on homework, zoning out looking around the room. Eddie had asked him nearly every day if he was looking at someone, Bill always denied it though, guess Eddie’s instincts had been right after all.

 

Eddie chuckled lowly, “Uh yea, Stan is actually one of my coworkers, so I bet he’d be there Bill.”

 

“ _W-well, maybe meeting n-new people isn’t the worst thing ever._ ”

 

“I’ll pick you up in 30,” Eddie said amusedly to Bill before hanging up. He put his phone down into the cupholder of his car and turned the radio back up.

 

“Head over Heels” by Tears for Fears was on. Eddie rolled his eyes, he wasn’t usually into songs about love, having gotten through his entire life so far all the way up to his Senior year of high school and never even kissing someone had made him slightly bitter over the entire genre of love songs.

 

He switched stations and “There is a Light That Never Goes Out” by The Smiths was on, he tried a different station and another Smiths song was on, “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want.” Today was not Eddie’s day as far as luck with the radio was going.

He opted instead to just ride in silence.

 

* * *

 

 

**6:45 PM – Monday Night**

Eddie pulled up in front of Bill’s house. They’d lived within 2 blocks of each other nearly their whole lives, Bill lived with his parents, he used to have a little brother when they were younger but he’d died in a freak storm. Bill didn’t like to talk about it and Eddie was never one to bring it up, but he did wonder if part of the reason Bill’s stutter had never gone away even though he’d taken speech therapy classes since they were little was because letting go of the stutter was like letting goof part of who Bill was when Georgie had known him.

 

Bill slid into the passenger side and immediately cranked the music back up, low and behold another fucking love song was playing, Bill loved them though so Eddie didn’t complain. Bill had always been a hopeless romantic.

 

“Sorry I’m a bit later than I said on the phone, I ran home to change first and got caught up in  a conversation with my mother about the new super germ that she just read about and gave me another bottle of Purrell for my fanny pack,” Eddie rolled his eyes and patted the fanny pack on his hip absentmindedly.

 

“Don’t worry ab-b-bout, so where are we going anyways for this b-bonfire?” Bill clicked his seatbelt into place and Eddie pulled away from the curb.

 

“Richie told me that it was at that farm just past the river,” he said as he turned onto the road that led north out of town. They passed by the “Leaving Derry, Come Again,” sign and Eddie couldn’t help but think what he thought about every time he saw that sign. He thought about seeing that sign in the rearview mirror for the last time when he finally left this god forsaken town for good as soon as senior year was over, only one more year left.

 

“Okay, I think we’re getting close then. Pretty sure it’s the next right turn in about half a mile,” Bill instructed. His hands were resting on the tops of his thighs, one of his legs bouncing and his fingers fluttering anxiously.

 

“Hey, Bill, anytime you want to leave tonight you just let me know and we can head out okay. No questions asked.” Eddie was really glad Bill had agreed to come with him, not only because of the strange urge he had to be there, but also because he knew that he’d never be brave enough to come on his own. It was nice to go into a strange environment with a backup, someone that you felt implicitly comfortable around.

 

Bill looked at him gratefully, “Thanks man, alright here’s the turn comin’ up.”

 

Eddie turned down the long dirt driveway, praying they had the right place, praying that they weren’t too early or too late, praying that it wouldn’t be awkward tonight.

 

As they pulled up farther into the driveway Eddie saw a large barn off the right and a quaint farm house nestled between a cluster of tall oak trees off to the left. The sun was hitting the trees and casting large shadows across the house, it might have been spooky if it had been fall and all the leaves had fallen from the branches, but for now it simply added another layer of personality to the house.

 

Eddie looked around for a sign they were in the right place or where to park and noticed Richie’s beat up truck and pulled up next to that on a patch of dead grass.

 

“You ready?” Eddie’s grip on the steering wheel giving him white knuckles proved that he didn’t feel ready, but instead he answered Bill, “You kidding Billy boy, never been better.” And with that he turned the car off and hopped out of the car.  

 

Bill followed suit shortly after, rubbing his palms on his shorts, probably drying them off from sweat. Bill tended to get clammy hands when he was nervous.

 

Eddie walked up to him and grabbed the back of his arm, giving a gentle squeeze, “Remember, anytime you wanna go is cool with me.” He gave Bill a reassuring smile, “I do think you should try and chat up that Stan tonight though,” winking at Bill slyly.

 

Bill bumped his shoulder into Eddie’s, “Come on man, he probably d-doesn’t even know who I am.” He pulled his arms up, holding onto his biceps and pulling his shoulders in slightly.

 

“Well then tonight is the night to change that! So let’s straighten up and remember that you are Bill Denbrough and you can handle anything.” He put his arm around Bill’s shoulders and pulled them back til Bill was standing up straighter. “Alright, so let’s go find these losers.”

  

* * *

 

 

**7:10 PM – Monday Night**

“Richie quit fidgeting, if he said he’s coming then he’s coming, no need to freak out so much,” Bev said to Richie who was currently sitting on the log they used as a bench for their bonfires at Mike’s house. He was pulling the bark apart and bouncing his leg at a million miles an hour.

 

“Hey Bevvy, want a nickels worth of free advice? Shut the fuck up,” Richie sassed back at her.

 

“Beep beep trashmouth,” Stan called from across the fire where he was walking up with a pile of wood in his arms. Mike was right behind him with another pile in his arms as well. The only one not here yet was Ben, well besides Eddie and his friend he was bringing.

 

Richie could not figure out why he was so nervous for this fucking kid to show up. But here he was, sweating like a sinner in church.

 

“Bev’s right Richie, what’s the worst that can happen? He doesn’t show up? You’ll still see him at work tomorrow,” Stan reassured him as he took a seat next to Richie on the log. “So, how about you stop tearing this tree apart and go grab some wood from the pile in the barn so we don’t have to go get more once it gets dark out.”

 

“Fine, I’ll go grab some fucking wood,” Richie started before realizing what he’d said, “Ayyyy, that’s what she said, am I right fellas?” He held out his hand expectantly to Stan, Stan just stared through him as if Richie wasn’t even standing there anymore. Richie then turned his attention to Mike and held up his hand for a high five from him instead. Mike complied, but it was more of a pity five because he knew that Richie wouldn’t put his arm down until he got a high five from one of them. Richie “Wooped” anyways at his success in receiving the five and made his way to the barn.

 

He walked along the beaten trail that they’d created from taking this path so many times over the last five years. Their bonfires at Mike’s house having been a staple in their friend group, nearly every other day during the summer. They always got the wood for the fire before the sun went down, so they wouldn’t have to in the dark, but at this point Richie could’ve made the walk to the barn and back with his eyes closed.

 

He grabbed a hefty stack and started making his way back. As he was about to turn the bend in the path that would lead back to the bonfire he heard an unfamiliar voice, followed by a newly familiar, but wholly beautiful laugh. He felt his face erupt into a huge grin and felt his pace pick up. Eddie had said he was going to come, but Richie was still surprised that he really had. He turned the bend and saw Eddie standing there talking to Bev, and Richie realized where the unfamiliar voice came from. Eddie’s friend, who was standing right next to him, with Eddie’s arm across his shoulders.

 

Richie’s face fell, and he ground to a halt for just a moment as he processed this. Of course, Eddie would have a boyfriend, look at him. Well Stan was wrong, this might actually be the worst that could happen.


	4. The Bonfire (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He couldn’t figure out why Richie seemed to be staring at his legs so intently. Also, why did Richie look so upset about them?

****

**7:30 PM – Monday Night**

Richie walked up to the group centered around the fire, his feet dragging along the ground, as soon as he entered the light of the fire everyone turned to him and he put on his normal, happy face.

 

He tried to keep his attention away from Eddie’s arm draped across his “friend’s” shoulder. A small smile crept onto Eddie’s face when his eyes met Richie’s and Richie felt his stomach erupt into butterflies. He cursed himself, how could this guy already be causing him to feel like this. He decided that despite Eddie having a boyfriend, he could still flirt with him, he would never over step his boundaries, but Eddie was cute and Richie wouldn’t be able to not flirt with him if he tried.

 

“Hey there Eds, glad you could make it,” Richie placed the stack of wood he’d been carrying into the pile with the others. He hid his face from the others behind his curls as he bent down, trying to hide his look of disappointment.

 

Feigning casualty Richie stood back up and rolled his shoulders back, and leaned into Stan, “So, Eddie, this your bo-“ He was cut off by Bev yelling out, “BEN! You made it!” She ran out of the circle they were standing in and jumped into his awaiting arms.

 

Everyone looked on with amused smiles, but while everyone’s attention was on Bev and Ben, Richie watched Eddie. He watched as Eddie dropped his arm from around his “friend’s” shoulders and waited for him to grab his hand. But they didn’t, instead their hands just swayed at their respective sides. Richie kept waiting for it to happen, but instead Eddie even took a slight side step away from his friend. Richie didn’t understand it.

 

Bev and Ben made their way back to the circle after Ben had gently put Bev back down from the bridal carry she had jumped in to. See, they were holding hands, that’s what couples did right? Hold hands? Not that Richie would know from personal experience. Yea, he’d kissed people before, he had some experience in that, but actually being in a committed relationship? Richie hadn’t found anybody that made him feel like he wanted that yet. Eddie was the first guy in two years to really catch Richie’s attention.

 

Once everyone was back in the circle Bev turned to the new guy and said, “So, your Eddie’s friend, what’s your name, I’m Bev, and this is Ben. Over there is Mike and then there’s Richie and Stan.” She motioned to each one of them going around the circle so he knew which name matched which face. Richie felt like he might have had a class or two with this kid over the last three years in high school, but he couldn’t be sure.

 

“Uh, hi, I’m B-b-b-bill,” he stuttered out and immediately looked ashamed and turned his face to the ground. Richie saw Eddie reach out and lightly grip the back of Bill’s forearm as reassurance and Richie felt his stomach drop.

 

“Well, hey Bill, it’s nice to meet you, glad you could join us tonight,” Mike said from his end of the circle. He always had a way of making people feel comfortable, Richie envied it. Richie acted like he was comfortable around everyone, and sometimes that made a person relax around him. Most of the time though it was too abrasive for people, and they tended to stay away from him and his boisterous personality. He worried sometimes that Stan and them would even find him too much one day and cut their losses and say goodbye, but he reassured himself when he had these thoughts that they loved him and would never do that to him.

 

Eddie’s hand was still on Bill’s arm and he was giving Bill a questioning glance, asking him something with his eyes that Richie couldn’t translate. Bill just met his eyes and with a slight nod Eddie pulled his hand back. It all only took about a second, but with the amount of attention Richie was giving them, it felt like he’d just watched a full episode of some melodrama.

 

Bill looked back up at the group then with a reaffirmed smile on his face, put there by whatever Eddie had conveyed to him no doubt, and said, “Yea, thanks for letting me c-come. Normally it’s just me and Eddie, so it’s nice to meet new people.” Eddie was giving Bill a look that resembled pride and gave him a slight pat on the shoulder. Richie hated every second of it.

 

“Hey Stan, can you come with me for a sec, I think we could still use a tad more wood for the bonfire tonight,” Richie stated while turning briskly away from the fire, simultaneously gripping Stan’s wrist and pulling him along.

 

“Dude, I think we have eno-“ Stan was silenced by the look that Richie gave him. The look saying, _Man, shut the fuck up and walk with me. I Need to talk to you._ Stan understood and followed behind Richie dutifully.

 

Richie didn’t relinquish his grip on Stan’s wrist until they were out of eye sight around the bend in the path. Once he did Stan started to massage some feeling back into his fingers because of how tight Richie had been holding on.

 

“Richie, what the hell man, what’s up?” Stan reached out and pulled on Richie’s arm to stop him from stalking toward the barn farther.

 

Richie spun around to Stan, his face red and flustered, “He has a boyfriend, Stan! A boyfriend!”

 

Stan considered this for a moment while looking over his shoulder to where the bonfire was, even though he couldn’t see it. “How do you know they’re dating? They could just be good friends, have you considered that?”

 

Richie hadn’t. He’d seen Eddie’s arm around Bill and immediately jumped to the worst conclusion his mind could think of. But, come on, Eddie was the cutest thing on two legs, how could Bill not be interested in him. Richie put his hands on the back of his head as he thought it over.

 

“Well, what about the arm around Bill’s shoulder, hmm? Or all the reassuring touches on his arm, or their silent conversations they were having with their eyes, that seems pretty damn intimate to me Stan.”

 

Stan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment, Richie had seen this face many times before, it was one he was well acquainted with. “Richie, none of those things really scream that they’re dating. Hell, you’ve done some of those things with us, just chill out and be yourself.”

 

“What do I do, chill out or be myself, I can’t do both,” Richie said completely serious and held his hands out, palms up in question, waiting for Stan to answer. Stan just tipped his head to the side and closed his eyes, like he was asking God how he had come to be put in this position, and just turned on his heel and walked back towards the fire.

 

Richie stood there for a moment watching Stan as he walked away and then called out after him, “Stan? Stan, which one do I do? Stanley?!” He just kept walking though and Richie sighed and jogged to catch back up.

 

* * *

 

**8:30 PM – Monday Night**

 

Eddie and Bill had taken a seat on the log next to the fire after Richie and Stan had run off. Well, more like Richie ran off and Stan got dragged along. Based on his expression though, Eddie assumed that this had happened to Stan on more than one occasion.

 

The rest of the group who were left, Ben, Bev, and Mike, struck up a conversation about some poetry that Ben had been working on. Bev thought it was beautiful and Mike was giving him constructive criticism that Ben seemed to be accepting earnestly.

 

Eddie bumped his knee against Bill’s to get his attention, “So, what’s the game plan for mission: talk to Stan tonight?”

 

Bill blushed and ducked his head slightly, “Honestly I have n-no idea, what if I j-just stutter the whole time?” Bill looked at Eddie with worried eyes.

 

Eddie rubbed the back of Bill’s shoulder reassuringly, “Bill, there’s so much more to you than just a stutter, you just need to show him that, and if he can’t see past your stutter than fuck him man.”

 

Bill let out a breath and nodded his head like he was psyching himself up. “Yea, you’re right, totally. S-so, how should I start the conversation th-though?”

 

Eddie considered that for a moment before coming up with something, “Well, he seems to be hanging out with Richie the most, so when they get back from getting more firewood, we’ll make our way over to the two of them casually, and when you’re feeling comfortable, you give me a signal and I find a way to get me and Richie somewhere else so you get some alone time talking with Stan, sound like a plan?”

 

Bill smiled widely, “Yea, that works for me,” and then he smiled even wider for not stuttering.

 

Eddie slapped him on the shoulder and was about to say something else when Bill’s attention was drawn to something over Eddie’s shoulder. He turned around on his seat and saw Stan coming back into the clearing shaking his head and pulling his hand up to the bridge of his nose. Eddie wondered what could have happened to cause this reaction. Then he noticed that Stan didn’t have any firewood, and then he noticed that Stan didn’t have Richie with him anymore either. Just as he realized this, Richie came running back into the clearing calling out Stan’s name. He didn’t have firewood either. Weird.

 

They had just reentered the circle when Mike spoke up and said what Eddie was thinking, “So, uh, guys, you get that firewood or what?” Mike started laughing and then Ben and Bev joined in. Richie looked confused for a moment before he seemed to have a light bulb go off.

 

“Oh right, well we were almost to the barn and Stan was just complaining and complaining, really just going on about how we didn’t need any more wood, and I mean how could we, I have plenty right here,” and made a crude gesture towards his crotch that earned him eye rolls around the circle and two beep beep Richies, but he seemed unfazed and continued, “so I conceded and we turned around to come back, I mean, how can you say no to a face like that?” Richie put both his hands on either one of Stan’s cheeks, effectively framing his face, while Stan looked wholly unamused by Richie’s antics. At least he was a good sport about it, though one would have to be to be best friends with Richie.

 

Richie's teasing earned several laughs from around the circle, including one from Eddie, and as soon as he had started laughing Richie looked over to him with a huge smile cracking across his face. He pulled his hands away from Stan and the two of them made their way towards Eddie and Bill. Turns out Eddie and Bill wouldn’t even have to get up to start the first phase of mission: talk to Stan. Eddie knocked his knee into Bill’s again to give him a heads up they were walking over in case he hadn’t seen on his own. By the way Bill knocked his knee back against Eddie’s he had noticed. Eddie was also noticing how Richie seemed to be staring at his legs.

 

Eddie wondered if he’d forgotten about a bruise he might have on his shin or maybe a Band-AId from a cut his mom had insisted on treating like a battle wound. He looked down for a moment inspecting his legs for something wrong but found none. He couldn’t figure out why Richie seemed to be staring at his legs so intently. Also, why did Richie look so upset about them?

As they walked up to him and Bill, Eddie wondered frantically what he should say, he hadn’t thought far enough ahead to what their conversation should actually be about. He just had a general game plan. What if they walked over and just stood there awkwardly waiting for Eddie to say something? He wouldn’t know what to do! Fuck. He was freaking out.

 

“So, Eddie, how’d you like your first day on the job?” Stan said as he neared the log. Thank god. The only thing that had come to Eddie’s mind to talk about was the super germ his mom had mentioned earlier that night, not the best casual conversation topic.

 

“Yea it was good, training was uh,” he paused as he felt Richie’s eyes boring into him while Eddie was answering Stan, and laughed nervously, “training was very interesting.”

 

“Yea, I heard you got the third degree today, starting off on ticket sales …” Stan shuddered, “skeeves me out just thinking about it.”

 

Eddie glanced at Richie, who seemed to be avoiding looking at Eddie for the first time that night, and then Eddie looked back to Stan, confused.

 

“Where do most people start off?” Eddie questioned, wondering why he’d gotten a different training than others according to Stan.

 

“We usually start on garbage pickup, it sounds worse, but its super easy work and you get to be outside instead of in one of those cramped booths, also you don’t have to talk to any customers on your first day. It’s a good way to learn the layout of the park as well.” Eddie grew even more confused, why would Richie tell Eddie that he trained everyone one way when Stan was telling him the complete opposite.

 

Eddie looked to Richie again who was looking at Eddie sheepishly through his bangs. When he noticed Eddie looking though, he laughed over zealously and punched Stan in the shoulder, “Stan just likes that job cause it’s the only thing he’s good at, picking up garbage on the job and in relationships. Am I right Stanny boy?”

 

Stan pushed Richie back and laughed half-heartedly, “Yea, yea Richie, yack it up, at least I’ve even had a boyfriend before.”

 

Eddie and Bill both started at that, in one sentence Stan had pretty much confirmed that he and Richie were both gay, and both on the market. Eddie shook it off, but Bill seemed to have a renewed spark of interest in the conversation and turned pointedly to Eddie for a moment. Eddie didn’t get it at first until Bill bumped his elbow into Eddie’s and unmistakably raised his eyebrows at him again. Eddie understood this time.

 

Eddie cleared his throat and looked behind Richie and Stan to the fire and said, “Hey Richie, that fire is looking kind of low actually, I think getting more wood would be a good idea after all. Could you show me where the wood pile is?” He looked expectantly up at Richie who paused for a moment looking at Stan nervously before regaining composure.

 

“Right this way Eds my boy,” and made a sweeping gesture towards the barn and held his hand out for Eddie to grab to help him up.

 

Eddie grabbed it cautiously and stood to follow Richie into the dark, leaving Bill behind to have a chance with Stan. Eddie glanced back over his shoulder and gave Bill a quick wink as good luck to which Bill only rolled his eyes.

 

Eddie realized Richie was still holding his hand, pulling him forward, Eddie’s heart rate picked up. Oh no.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys like the new update, should have chapter 5 up in the next day or so! I'm trying to get as many done while I'm on break and have a ton of time on my hands!


	5. The Bonfire (Part 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie sat there on the ground, stunned at the turn of events that had just happened, trying to piece it all together himself, clutching his fanny pack to his chest, which rose and fell rapidly due to his speeding heart rate. 
> 
> “What the fuck?”

**8:45 PM – Monday Night**

Richie was pulling Eddie along in the dark, he didn’t mind Richie still holding his hand per se, but he did find it confusing. Why would Richie want to be holding Eddie’s hand, he wondered, especially since he’d clearly been hazing Eddie that day at work after hearing what Stan said.

 

He felt his hands start to clam up and he wasn’t sure how to extract his hand from the situation it found itself in. Maybe it wasn’t the worst thing though, Eddie reasoned with himself, I mean, Richie _was_ extremely attractive. Eddie decided to let it go for now, he had bigger things to worry about, like how to keep Richie distracted long enough to let Bill have ample amount of time to talk with Stan.

 

What were interesting conversation topics that he could bring up? He could always explain some commonly misused phrases, and how they’ve changed over time. Or maybe he could just start spewing fun facts that he’d read on the inside of bottle caps. People liked fun facts, right? If he really got desperate he could really bring the house down with his vast knowledge on diseases and germs. He got the feeling that Richie would just get weirded out if he chose that last topic though, or just severely grossed out.

 

All while Eddie had been having this conversation with himself, he and Richie had reached the far end of the barn. Richie pulled him around the corner and Eddie squinted in the dying light to see what was there and was surprised to see that the entire back length of the barn was lined with a 4-foot-tall pile of chopped fire wood. No wonder they always chose Mike’s house for their bonfire’s he thought, there’s enough wood here to have a bonfire every single night of the year.

 

Richie finally dropped Eddie’s hand, seeming to have forgotten it had been there in the first place because as soon as he dropped it he shoved his hands deep in his pockets and looked slightly embarrassed. Seeing Richie looking vulnerable like that made Eddie’s heart skip loudly for a moment and Eddie smiled at him ready to start up some conversation when Richie started before him.

 

“So, that Bill kid, you known him long?” Richie pulled his hands out of his pockets and leaned against the pile of wood nonchalantly.

 

“Oh, yea, we’ve known each other almost our whole lives, and he lives only about 2 blocks away from me, so there have been summers where I’ve practically lived at his house with how much time I spent there,” Eddie smiled wistfully, nostalgic over the memories of his and Bill’s childhood. Two partners in crime they were.

 

Richie kicked at the dirt absent mindedly and half muttered, “It sounds like you really love him then.”

 

Eddie, still in memory lane, missed the tone that Richie spoke in, and was oblivious to the question that he was really asking. “Oh yea, he’s my best friend.”

 

Richie frowned behind his curls, and then silently turned to the pile of wood and began to pull a stack into his arms.

 

Eddie felt like he’d missed a cue, and tried to figure out the mood flip he was seeing in Richie. Also, not wanting to let down Bill, he needed to keep this conversation going as long as possible. “What about you and Stan? You guys seem to be close, like me and Bill, right?”

 

Eddie was shocked when Richie dropped his entire pile of wood from his arms because he started laughing so hard. He didn’t seem to be able to stop laughing, Richie wiped his face from the tears that had started streaming from his eyes from how hard he was, and in between outbursts he said, “Oh no! … Me,” more laughter, “Me and Stan are definitely not,” Eddie was very confused at how hard Richie was laughing at this. Him and Stan seemed to be good friends? How had he misread that so badly? Richie continued after taking a long steadying breath, “No, uhh me and Stan are close, he’s one of my best friends, has been for years, but it’s uhh,” his face returned to the somber state it was before the whole outburst, “it’s not like you and Bill, me and Stan aren’t dating, no.” Richie reached up and rubbed the back of his neck avoiding Eddie’s incredulous gaze being pointed at him.

 

“WHAT?”

 

Richie dropped his hand from his neck and looked at Eddie, his face twisting up in confusion, “I mean, you guys are dating, right?”

 

“Of course not! Bill’s like my brother, that’d be so weird,” Eddie almost yelled back, he was just so shocked at how Richie had come to this conclusion. Eddie thought about dating Bill and he understood Richie’s laughter from before, no way could he date Bill.

 

Eddie was so wrapped up in his own thoughts, once again though, that he completely missed Richie’s reaction to this new revelation. His face broke into a huge smile that reached from ear to ear and his entire posture changed to one of confidence and he moved about with a slight spring in his step.

 

“Well then Eds, I’m sorry for makin the assumption. So, how’s about we pick up all this wood I dropped and make our way back to the bonfire with the rest of them?” Richie bent down next to the scattered logs on the ground and waited for Eddie to join him.

 

Eddie bent down and began to load up his arms. Richie’s pile became uncentered and started to teeter to the side, Eddie put down his pile quickly and rushed over to where Richie was kneeling about a foot away and caught the falling wood as it started to go. He’d been so focused on helping Richie he hadn’t realized how close to Richie he’d actually gotten. After he restacked the wood in Richie’s arms for him he looked up and Richie was already staring at him through his eyelashes. Richie didn’t break his gaze away when Eddie met his eyes and they stayed there for a moment, an energy flowing between them, mere inches away from each other when Eddie’s watch beeped.

 

It still did that every night at 9:00, a leftover alarm his mom had put in for his bedtime when he had turned 13 and gotten the watch as a gift. Even though his bed time was later now, and nonexistent in the summer, he couldn’t figure out how to turn the alarm off.

 

Eddie looked down at his watch then to turn the alarm off and saw he’d only been here with Richie for maybe 10 minutes. When he looked back up, whatever moment they’d been sharing before was over and Richie blinked a few times and cleared his throat. He stood back up and waited for Eddie to regrab his discarded pile from before. Eddie had wanted to give Bill more time than the 10 minutes, but he couldn’t exactly keep them at this wood pile any longer without good reason. So, when Richie started back down the dark path, Eddie had no choice but to follow him, still thinking of some way to prolong this excursion.

 

They were about half way back, if Eddie’s memory of the walk there served him correctly, when it came to him.

 

He kept his eyes on the ground for a good spot before he saw it. A tree root was sticking out of the ground and Eddie made a slight apology into the air to his knees and took the dive. Bill owed him big time.

 

He dropped the wood and fell to the ground, landing on his right knee and the palms of his hands, all of them getting completely scraped up.

 

Richie had been a few feet ahead of him and came rushing back at the commotion, when he saw Eddie on the ground he threw the wood he was carrying to the side and immediately came to kneel at Eddie’s side.

 

“Eds! Hey, Eds, you okay? What happened?” Richie’s hand nervously fluttered around Eddie as if trying to sense if anything was broken without touching him.

 

Eddie hissed at the stinging in his palms and his knee, “Ahh, yea, it’s not a big deal but it stings pretty bad. That damn root came out of nowhere.” For good measure Eddie gave the root a dirty look, despite knowing full well the root had nothing to do with his fall.

 

Richie nervously held out his hands palms up, in question. Eddie placed his hands in Richie’s so that he could look at the damage on Eddie’s palms. They weren’t the worst Eddie had ever seen, but the dirt he could now see in the cuts was making his breathing rate increase and he felt his body tensing up. Richie looked up at Eddie’s face, who was still inspecting the damage he had caused to his hands, and saw the panic setting in. He gave Eddie’s hands a quick squeeze, “Hey, it’s no big deal, we’re gonna get back to Mike’s house and get it all cleaned up, we’ll throw some Band-Aid’s on there and you’ll be good as new, okay?”

 

Eddie hadn’t anticipated falling as fast as he had, he didn’t think his hands were going to get hurt, or get dirt in them. He couldn’t get the germs out of his head. He started to shake his head very quickly, he needed them cleaned right now.

 

“No, no, I need to clean it now, my-my fanny pack,” Eddie spluttered out quickly.

 

Richie looked down at the fanny pack on Eddie’s hip, not knowing what he wants, “Eds, I’m not following, what about your fanny pack?” Richie gave another reassuring squeeze to Eddie’s hands so he could calm down to answer Richie’s question.

 

Eddie took one steadying breath, “I-I have Neosporin and cleansing wipes and Band-Aids in my fanny pack. Please open it, and – and grab it, please.” Eddie looked up at Richie, meeting his eyes finally, pleading with him to go fast.

 

“Don’t you worry Eddie, Dr. Tozier is on the case,” Richie smiled at him and reached down for Eddie’s fanny pack. His hands paused as they neared Eddie’s waist though, as if he was thinking of the least uncomfortable way he could go about this for Eddie. Then Richie leaned forward and began to reach his arms around Eddie’s waist. Eddie felt his breath against his cheek and felt a blush creeping up his neck. For a moment he was distracted from his panic and looked down at the top of Richie’s head which was nearly against Eddie’s shoulder at this point. Eddie felt his breath hitch, unsure of what was happening, and then he heard a distinct *click* and Richie was leaning back, Eddie’s fanny pack in his hands.

 

Eddie watched on with baited breath as Richie removed his top shirt, the Hawaiian one from earlier and laid it on the ground. He then carefully laid out all the supplies on top of his shirt so they wouldn’t get dirty as well. He pulled out his phone and switched the flash light on, as the sun had finally receded behind the horizon and it was becoming too dark to see without assistance. Richie took one of the cleansing wipes from the package and carefully took Eddie’s left hand in his and wiped the largest of the dirt from his cuts. It stung, but Eddie was beginning to focus more on Richie’s expression. His eyes were focused and gentle as he went about the task of cleaning the dirt from Eddie’s other hand with a new wipe. He then moved onto the Neosporin, delicately smoothing the salve over Eddie’s scuffed palms, before grabbing two Band-Aids to put over the cuts. Richie didn’t stop focusing on taking care of Eddie until everything was finished, before finally looking up and meeting Eddie’s eyes.

 

Eddie leaned forward without thinking. He felt the energy again, like he had back by the wood pile. He couldn’t figure out what it was though. Before he had time to really consider what it was though, Richie closed the distance in between them.

 

Richie’s lips crashed into Eddie’s before Eddie could realize what was happening. The kiss pushed Eddie off balance from the crouching position he was in and he fell backwards, pulling away from Richie and landing on his newly bandaged hand to catch himself.

 

“Fuck!” Eddie called out in pain, his hand still being tender from the first fall.

 

He saw panic rush into Richie’s face, “I … I-I’m so sorry Eddie, I don’t .. uh, I’m sorry,” and Richie began to hastily push all of Eddie’s supplies back into his fanny pack. He grabbed his shirt off the ground and threw it back on as he shoved Eddie’s fanny pack back into Eddie’s hands. He turned on his heel and swiftly ran away, “I’m sorry!” he called out one last time before he disappeared around the bend.

 

Eddie sat there on the ground, stunned at the turn of events that had just happened, trying to piece it all together himself, clutching his fanny pack to his chest, which rose and fell rapidly due to his speeding heart rate.

 

“What the fuck?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want you guys to know I had a ton of fun writing this chapter and really hope you like it!!! Next update in the next few days!! As always, comments are welcomed and encouraged! 
> 
> If you want you can also check out my Reddie Tumblr page, https://www.tumblr.com/blog/reddie-set-goooo  
> I share a lot of fan art from people and spread around some Reddie fics that I love, so check it out if you want to!


	6. Training - Day 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was early Tuesday morning. Eddie hadn’t slept much. He lied awake unable to shut his brain off, the unexpected kiss on repeat. It was his first kiss after all, yes he would have preferred it to be a tad bit more romantic, maybe could have done without the scuffed up hands and runaway bride scenario.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to thank @baby_spinch for helping me write this chapter!! Sorry it took me so long to update, I just got back to school and with everything starting up again I haven't had as much free time as before. I'm going to try and update at least once a week going forward!

**7 AM - Tuesday Morning**

 

It was early Tuesday morning. Eddie hadn’t slept much. He lied awake unable to shut his brain off, the unexpected kiss on repeat. It was his first kiss after all, yes he would have preferred it to be a tad bit more romantic, maybe could have done without the scuffed up hands and runaway bride scenario. Even with all those extra features though, Eddie couldn’t help but have enjoyed it. There’s no way Eddie could have expected it, especially considering Richie was hazing him earlier that day, but he couldn’t deny anymore the butterflies that erupted whenever he was near Richie. 

 

Now the question was why had he run off? He wasn’t sure why Richie had freaked out so much, he was the one who initiated it. Maybe Eddie sucked at kissing… oh god that was probably it. 

 

He pried himself from his warm bed and begrudgingly got ready for work. He was going to see Richie no doubt. He was going to have to spend the whole day with the fuckhead who started off hazing him, then flirting with him, only to kiss and ditch like some elementary school bullshit. He could already feel the awkward tension.

 

**8:50 AM - Tuesday Morning**

  
  


Eddie sat in his car for as long as he could, he didn’t want to have to run through the grounds again like yesterday morning, but the idea of seeing Richie made it hard to leave the safety of his car. He looked around the parking lot before finally forcing himself to get out, no rust bucket. Was Richie not even here today? 

 

He stepped out of the car and began walking to the employee trailer. He passed by some employees preparing their carnival game booths, another was laying bags in the trash cans in preparation for the day. All the while he could feel his nerve endings going haywire with every step he took closer towards his destination. He finally got to the door of the trailer and took a steadying breath before going inside. The first thing he noticed - no Richie. His stomach dropped, his jittering nerves, instead of being at full throttle, seemed to all die at once. He then took another look around the room, actually processing what was there this time, instead of only seeing what was missing. He noticed Beverly, she was sitting in a fold up chair reading a magazine while smoking a cigarette with her feet up on the table. 

 

“Hey Eddie,” she smiled over the page, “last night was fun, huh?” He swore she had a smirk on her face but she raised the paper again before he got a good enough look. 

 

“Oh, yeah, it was.. um fun, yeah. So fun.” He strained, attempting to be nonchalant but failing miserably, his voice being too disheartened to be believably casual. Beverly lowered her magazine a bit, giving a sympathetic smile.

 

Eddie wasn’t sure if she knew what had happened last night with Richie, he didn’t know how close they were, but the way she was looking at him was definitely suspicious.

 

Bev lowered the newspaper fully, folding it in her lap. She put out her cigarette and lowered her feet to the floor. She opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by a new voice. 

 

“Eddie, good to see you’re not out of breath today,” Eddie whirled around to look at the door where Stan had appeared, leaning against the frame, hoping it was a different curly haired man. Eddie had hoped for a split second that it was Richie before once again feeling his stomach drop in disappointment. “I’m gonna be the one training you today, so let’s get to it.”  He said clapping his hands together.

 

Eddie was taken aback for a moment, where was Richie? Had he seriously blown off his job because of what had happened? Because he didn't want to be near Eddie? Was he seriously that terrible at kissing that Richie couldn’t bare to look at him after the kiss? Eddie cursed himself for feeling disappointed, and cursed himself for clearly being at fault for Richie’s absence. As much as he was upset with Richie for leaving him alone, in the dark with all of the wood to carry back now by himself, he might add, and flabbergasted after the kiss, Eddie mostly just wanted to know why he had left. 

  
  
  


**9:02 PM - Monday Night - The night before**

  
  


“Holy shit.”

 

Eddie sat, stunned, on the dirty ground holding his fanny pack to his chest. Had that really just fucking happened? Richie had just kissed him and then fucking spazzed out and ran away. Eddie shook his head trying to come out of the daze Richie had left him in. He stood and brushed the dirt from his shorts carefully with his bandaged hands before quickly clipping his fanny pack back around his waist. He was about to start walking back to the fire but he noted the pile of wood that was laying in the path. He sighed, disgruntled, not only had Richie ditched him in the dark, but he’d left Eddie to grab all the wood that he’d left. Dick. He did his best to grab all the wood he could and began walking back to the fire.

 

He had assumed that Richie would be there and he could just quietly pull him aside and ask what the fuck just happened but he was nowhere in sight. He had fucking bolted. Eddie walked up to Bill who was already looking at him quizzically. Eddie dropped the wood unceremoniously onto the ground and looked at Bill exasperatedly. 

 

“Hey, I uh.. Have you guys seen Richie?” Eddie asked both Bill and Stan.

 

“He took off, seemed to be pretty shook up,” Stan answered. 

 

“ W-we asked him where he was g-g-going but all he said w-was “To your mother’s house!” and then drove away,” Bill shrugged.

 

“Did something happen?” Stan asked Eddie, looking at him as though he was trying to read Eddie’s mind. The way he asked though, did make it seem like this type of behavior from Richie wasn’t abnormal. That thought did nothing to comfort Eddie. 

 

“Uh, no no. I’m not sure what happened.” Eddie lied, mumbling through his sentence. He’d always been a terrible liar and he was embarrassed and hurt. He gave Bill a look, sending him a silent signal that he wanted to leave soon. Bill nodded and gave Eddie an understanding smile.

 

Eddie felt bad for making Bill leave Stan so soon in the night, but hopefully they’d had enough time to talk besides just introductions and pleasantries. Eddie could wait a little bit longer though, he’d give them another 10 minutes, so Eddie took a seat on the log and tried to piece together what the fuck had just happened. 

  
  


**12:30 PM - Tuesday Afternoon**

 

Eddie had been following Stan around the grounds for a few hours. He’d showed him where each booth was set up, then gave him pointers on how to pick up trash in the most effective and hygienic way possible, Eddie really appreciated this information, Richie probably wouldn’t have told him these tips. He liked how Stan was quiet and friendly, taking the work seriously. But part of him missed the obnoxiously, enthusiastic trashmouth, Richie made yesterday's training interesting. Richie had made yesterday night interesting as well, but Eddie was trying not to dwell on that. Every time he’d thought about it so far today, he’d started to zone out until Stan would call him out to make sure he was listening or still working. 

 

Eddie really didn’t want Stan to think he was a bad worker, but there was a lot on his mind. 

 

Eddie had been avoiding all topics Richie related as well, knowing that if Stan and Richie were as close as it seemed, then Stan probably already knew about what had happened last night. Wait. Maybe he knew why Richie left? This new thought poked through Eddie’s mind’s defenses and before he could stop himself his mouth started moving.

 

“So, where is Richie today?” He asked as nonplussed as he could. Curiosity getting the better of him. 

 

Stan let out a quiet sigh, guess he had been trying to avoid the subject as well, “He’s um… he’s sick.” Stan stated, obviously coming up with the lie on the spot.

 

“Oh okay. Do you know when he’ll be back?” Eddie feigned nonchalance as best he could, hoping to get more information. 

 

“No, sorry. He sounded pretty bad when he called in earlier,” Stan said more convincingly, but Eddie could tell he was still lying. Stan continued picking up garbage with the trash spike he had and walked enough distance away from Eddie to indicate he was done with the conversation.

 

Eddie decided to let the conversation drop, it was a dead end trying to get information out of Richie's best friend anyways, especially someone as stoic as Stan. He just hoped that Richie would be back before the week was over. Maybe then he’d be able to get some answers. 

  
  


**4:45 PM - Tuesday Afternoon**

 

Eddie and Stan had just finished moving all of the trash bags from the cans to the dumpster and put in new bags for the night shift workers that were coming in. They walked back over to the trailer in relative silence. It might have been uncomfortable, but Stan was the kind of person that Eddie felt didn’t talk much anyways, so the silence was actually very nice. Not to mention he’d been around Stan almost all day now and he could remember exactly how many conversations they had had that didn’t involve the training. There had been 3. One was Eddie’s attempts to get information on Richie’s whereabouts and the other two had surprisingly been initiated by Stan. 

  
  


**9:15 AM - Tuesday Morning - Conversation #1**

 

“So,” Stan started, while they made their way over to the supplies shed to grab the trash bags and these trash spikes that Stan insisted way the best way to pick up the garbage on the ground so you wouldn’t have to use your hands. “Your, uh, your friend Bill is cool. How long you guys known each other.” 

 

Eddie couldn’t help but chuckle slightly under his breath, and he thought he was bad at forced nonchalance. Eddie smiled at Stan knowingly and replied, “Yea, he is pretty cool isn’t he? I’ve known him for pretty much my whole life.” 

 

Stan nodded to himself, “Cool.” And with that he opened the shed, handed Eddie the trash spike, and began to loudly explain how everything worked and where to put things away in the shed when you were done. Eddie chuckled again and accepted that as the end of the conversation. 

  
  


**1:30 PM - Tuesday Afternoon - Conversation #2**

 

Stan and him had made their way over to one of the unused picnic tables that were scattered around the grounds for their lunch break. Stan had one of those metal briefcase, style lunch boxes, and inside he had immaculately arranged all of his food. He had a simple turkey sandwich, a small tupperware of carrots, a small bag of almonds, and a juice box. Eddie’s mom had let him pack his own lunch this morning so Eddie had been able to grab a bag of chips along with the things his mom always has him pack. He’d been having the same school lunch for the last 12 years it felt like. A simple PBn’J, apple slices, and one of those tiny water bottles. 

 

They began eating their lunches in silence, like they had spent most of the day with each other so far, when Stan spoke up. “Bill told me, his favorite food was PBn’J,” Stan gestured towards the sandwich currently in Eddie’s hands. 

 

Eddie smiled again at the mention of Bill, he was really happy these two had hit it off so well. Eddie doubted that Stan would have said anything at all if it hadn’t. “Yea, i always tease him for having such a boring favorite food,” Eddie said as he laughed at all the memories of teasing Bill for it. 

 

_ “Stop laughing at me Eddie!” Bill called out in between his laughter. “It’s a normal thing!”  _

 

_ “Bill! Your favorite food is a PBn’J, are you 6? I swear Bill if you ever find another grown adult that says their favorite fucking food in the whole world is PBn’J, you better marry them ” Eddie teased back, both of them laughing uncontrollably, which happened often between them if they started.  _

 

Eddie was brought out of his brief flashback when Stan said, rather indignantly, “It’s my favorite too.” 

 

Eddie’s chuckling stopped briefly as he took in Stan’s face, trying to see if he was messing with Eddie. Seeing no signs of this, Eddie felt a grin start to creep across his face, he tried to stop it, but only made it worse as he began laughing at the prospect that Bill had found probably the only other adult with a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich as their favorite food. 

 

The more he thought about it, the harder it was to stop his laughter, just like whenever he’d tease Bill about it. Stan looked offended for a moment and Eddie was able to abate his laughter long enough to assure Stan, “No, no, I’m not laughing at you! I promise! I just can’t believe Bill found another one.”  

 

Stan looked even more confused for a moment, when Eddie took some pity on him, he had know idea about what Eddie had said to Bill the last time he had teased him about it. Eddie gave him a reassuring smile after reigning his laughter in, “Stan, would you want to hang out with me and Bill later? We were gonna go to the diner and get some milkshakes if you wanna come.” 

 

Stan still looked confused but gave Eddie a bashful smile, “I, I think I’ve got time after work, I can meet you guys there around 6?” 

 

Eddie smirked at Stan, glad Bill seemed to have found a guy who was really into him, “Yea, that’ll work perfect.” 

 

Then he and Stan ate the rest of their lunch in a comfortable silence. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys all enjoyed this chapter! It's mostly filler at this point and the next one might be a bit as well, but I did say it was gonna be a slow burn <3
> 
> As always please comment and let me know what you liked and what you didn't like!!


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